The Rock Unicorn
by paddy lover1417
Summary: After defeating the Water Dragon God, Team Natsu is headed to Tekka to continue their 100 year quest when they run into a traveling storytelling group who reveal to them the legends of the forest around them. What will they do when stories become reality and Lucy stumbles upon a forgotten creature that lay dormant for eons? *WARNING: SPOILERS for 100 year quest up to chapter 25.*
1. Chapter 1

_**I got this idea for an adventure that occurs in between the Water Dragon God & Wood Dragon God and had to see how it played out, especially since I'm impatiently waiting for the next chapter of 100 year quest. We'll see how it goes. Don't forget to review!**_

Chpt 1: The Woods between Ermina & Tekka

"I can't believe Erza got so angry," Natsu whined.

"I don't know what you expected," Gray said with an eyeroll. "You shouldn't have tried to erase the train on the map."

"I didn't even do anything," Wendy repeated sullenly.

"Either way, you bought yourself a little bit of time until we get to Tekka," Gray said with a shrug. Natsu fell into step with him,silent and sulky . Ahead of them, Erza was hidden behind the piles and piles of luggage she dragged along. The only hint that she was there at all from their angle was that Lucy kept turning her head to respond or laugh at something Erza said behind the luggage.

"She looks like she's talking to herself," Gray observed with a smirk.

"I always knew she was a weirdo," Natsu replied with a chuckle.

"Has to be for putting up with you for so long," Gray teased.

Natsu shot him a glare, but still too wounded from his most recent Erza beating, he made no move to start a fight. Instead he looked up at the sky, arms behind his head as a breeze blew past. He'd take a bit more time to heal from his new bruises, but any second not on a train was well worth thousands of bruises from Erza. He'd rather fight the the Water Dragon God again than take this inevitable eight hour train to the center of Giltena Continent.

"So you really don't remember any of the fight after you ate those flames," asked Gray.

Natsu gave Gray a sideways glance. Gray was looking a head, a bored expression on his face.

"No," Natsu conceded. His eyes fell back on Lucy again. "I ate the flame and it sort of all went black. Then I was awake again in front of Mercphobia's body with Lucy holding onto me and my arms burned up."

"Really? Nothing?"

"I think I heard Lucy," Natsu thought, tapping his head to try and jog a few memories. Happy had said she stopped him before he went overboard, after eating Ignia's flame. "I just heard a voice very far away saying it was over. Maybe, honestly I can't say. It's all pretty blank."

"You're impossible" Gray sighed. "And then you tell her you'll pee on the burns after Wendy already healed it? Didn't even know you were into that sort of thing."

"Hey," growled Natsu, "shut up, ice brain. Who even told you about that?"

Without warning, Happy picked up his flying pace, making it to Lucy and landing in her arms, glancing back only once more. Natsu made a mental note to get the Exceed back later for gossiping. "Doesn't matter," Natsu continued. "I'm getting stronger and stronger and next time I eat those flames it'll be to defeat Ignia!"

Gray was about to respond with a snarky remark, but was interrupted when Erza paused, calling back to them. "This seems like a good camping spot for tonight, let's set up here before it gets too dark. Natsu and Gray, help me set up camp."

"I'll go find some firewood," Lucy suggested.

"I'll join you," Wendy agreed.

...

"You could help me, you know," Gray snapped as the tent fell down again.  
"How do you not know how to set up a tent," Natsu teased, opening a lazy eye. He was very comfortable against the tree trunk, feeling the last few rays of sun hitting his face as the sun disappeared and the first stars began to twinkle above.

"If I set this whole thing up then you don't get to sleep in it," warned Gray, banging the first nail into the ground for the hundredth time.

"I already told you I don't need a tent. They get too stuffy," Natsu said. "Do you have ice in your ears?"

"Say that again," Gray threatened, dropping the tent pole he had been trying to erect in order to turn completely to Natsu, hands ready to ice-make a hammer or a cannon or anything to shut the fire idiot up.

"Gladly," Natsu said, jumping up and lighting his hands. "I said, do you have ice in your ears? Obviously you do, unless its your popsicle brain that's giving you issue."

Natsu lunged out of the way as a huge sweeping ice pillar took out the tree Natsu had been leaning against, and a few behind it. Natsu, in response, sent a flaming fist right to Gray's jaw, sending him staggering backward before recovering and banging an ice encased hand down on Natsu's head. Natsu was just about to put Gray in a headlock when a demonic growl came from behind them, making both boys freeze.

"What are you doing?" Erza was glowering at them and the boys could feel her glares in their back. "You almost killed those people in the woods."

"People in the woods," echoed Gray & Natsu confused. They looked back at the leveled area where trees once stood. Sure enough there was a group of five people standing their watching them with a mixture of fascination and horror on their faces.

"Sor-" Natsu & Gray began, but before they finished two hits from Erza knocked the wind right out of them.

"I apologize for my friends, how can I make it up to you?"

"Oh, it's alright," the tall man said, "No one was hurt, just a bit surprised. We're a traveling group, so we are use to seeing odd things, though I'll admit, seeing a fight between an ice and fire mage is new."

"I insist you come sit with us and share some bread or water. Please," Erza said motioning to their only half way put together camp.

"Well, alright," agreed the leader. "Let us provide some firewood for you and we can all make some tea with your water. I'm Abaddon and we are the Troupe of Tellers. We travel and tell stories and put on shows."

"Shows," Erza's eyes lit up and Natsu moaned, both from the pain of Erza's hit and from the idea of having to watch Erza act in any kind of play.

"What kind of stories," Gray asked, managing to sit up and greet one of the younger men of the group named Arawn.

"Actually," Arawn said, "We have one about this forest if you'd like to hear it."

"Tea is best with a story," Abaddon agreed. "The story of the Rock Unicorn."

"Sounds kind of boring," Natsu admitted. Erza shot him a death glare and he added on, "b-b-but who knows! A story is a story! I'm sure Lucy would like to hear it as well, once she and Wendy get back."

"Indeed, I am also intrigued," Erza said. "Please begin this story of the rock unicorn. We will fill Lucy & Wendy in when they return."

"Alright," Abaddon agreed. He set a kettle above the wood and Natsu lit the flames. Then, he waved the remaining troupe to come around the fire to hear.


	2. Chapter 2

"There was once a King in this land, not too long ago. He was a good King, very beloved by his people. Under his rule there were rich harvests, many festivals, and no one knew poverty or hunger. To ensure justice was served he would travel around his lands, sometimes in disguise and sometimes in official attire, to see the people's wants and needs and to make it so.

One day the King was disguised as a peasant walking through the woods between Ermina & Tekka. In a flash he saw a creature rush by followed closely by two men with weapons drawn. Though the man could not see the creature in detail he could feel its fear in the air. Without thinking he followed with great speed, leaving his own escorts behind.

Through the forest he ran until he was deep into its very center. The trees were thick and overgrown, and though it would be easy to get lost, somehow the King knew the way. Finally, he made it to a clearing at the very heart of the forest. In this grassy area he saw the men pointing their weapons at the frightened creature, that seemed to have called the king to its aid.

It was a horrifying beast with the body of a deer and the hooves and head of a horse. Blue and green scales covered its body except for its silver mane which flew about as if made of flames instead of hair. In the center of its forehead was a single horn, almost like an antler. A unicorn. Despite this frightful appearance, the King felt no fear for himself. As the men took aim he rushed forward and threw himself between the men and the creature.

"Stop," commanded the king.

"Get out of the way," the first man replied, "or I'll shoot you through the chest."

"I am the king! I command you to stop and leave this creature alone!"

"King," laughed the second man, "In peasant clothes? Move or die."

The men were clearly not from his lands. They didn't believe that he was the King and so his authority meant nothing to them. They were there for the creatures horn and seemed determined to stop at nothing to get it. What was the king to do? He felt he needed to protect the creature in his-"

"Why were the men after the unicorn," interrupted Natsu.

Abaddon blinked confused for a moment at the break in his story.

"I have questions as well," Erza informed the group.

"No questions in the middle of stories," Arawn told them, filling their cups with tea. "It ruins the flow of the story."

"Story?" They all turned to see Wendy appearing from the woods. She looked around the camp, then at the fire with the kettle bubbling over it. She placed her small pile of wood on the floor before sitting on top of it. "I guess we didn't need wood after all."

"Our new friends brought us some," Erza said happily. "And they are sharing a story with us from this land."

"Where's Lucy," Gray asked.

"She said she wanted to continue her walk for a bit and collect a few more pieces of wood. I think she was enjoying herself in the woods," Wendy replied, taking a seat next to Happy and Carla.

"Since the flow is interrupted already," Natsu said slyly, "tell us why the men wanted the horn."

Abaddon nodded to Arawn, who explained. "Some say a unicorn's horn has magical properties. It can purify all poisons in any drink if made into a cup or heal any wound if made into a bandage. But it is most legendary for allowing the possessor of an unaltered horn immortal life and power."

"So that's why the men wanted it," Natsu said.

"That's why the men wanted it," nodded Arawn.

"Okay." Natsu rested his chin on his hand and looked deep in thought, almost painfully concentrated.

Gray opened his mouth to begin another question, but Erza held up her hand to silence him. "Please continue," she instructed and Abaddon complied.

"The king was at a loss of what to do, if the men would not listen to his authority as king, was he doomed to be shot through? The men prepared their weapons, leveled them to the king's chest, and the king began to accept his fate. Suddenly, the king felt a strange warmth spreading across his back and into his heart. From the warmth came a swell of power rising up within him. His eyes turned black as night and he lunged at the men with a fearsome roar. They shot their arrows at him, but with a swipe through the air, the king knocked them away unharmed. A single arrow managed to hit the king in the arm, making the king pause long enough to rip it out. The wound immediately healed. The men were now frightened by the change in this mysterious man. They dropped their weapons and ran out of the forest never to return.

As the men disappeared into the trees, the king felt the new power draining from him, out of his heart and out of his back, returning him to normal. Turning to the unicorn, he found that the hybrid creature that had been there before was now replaced with a silver horse- like creature with a single golden horn upon its head. It had changed to its other form, having chosen the king to use its power to protect them both. It had chosen the king as its friend.

"What has happened," asked the king. "Where has my strength gone?"

The unicorn said nothing, but the king knew without words what had occurred.

"What the legends say is true," marveled the king and he pet the unicorn, who nuzzled into his hand. "Be free, my friend, and stay safe."

The unicorn bowed and disappeared into the forest, leaving the king to continue on his way back to his castle.

But to feel such power at once can change a man. A unicorn is absolute goodness, but humans are made of both good and evil and though the unicorn chose the king as its friend because of his good heart, the evil within was also empowered by the unicorns touch. At first, all was normal upon the king's return, but slowly, slowly, the king began to change. Where before he was patient, now he was quick to anger. Where before he was kind, a sourness grew in his heart. He began to be cruel and unfair to his people and he became obsessed with thinking of the power he had once had. He desired for it day and night, night and day.

"Why should I, a king, be relegated to such a weak existence," he would mutter to himself as he paced his castle late into the night. "When I could hold such strength now and forever." Thus, the king's heart was completely corrupted and he began his plan to capture the unicorn and kill it in order to take possession of its horn. He researched the legends and came to his plan. Unicorns are attracted to a pure heart and they cannot avoid assisting another creature in need. So the king sent his men out to find the kindest and most gentle person in the kingdom. They were to kidnap this person and meet the king in the clearing where the unicorn had once been cornered.

Just on the edge of the kingdom there was a small village with an even smaller boy named Clem. On the day of his birth, the village said a hummingbird landed on the edge of his crib, peered in at his gentle face, and flew off again. At five, Clem had shed tears over the unhappiness in a story about a boy who loses his favorite toy, so large was his heart with empathy. He was known to give all of his food to those who needed it more, whether it be a poor beggar or a hungry stray dog. When he was ten, he was kidnapped by the king's men and tied to a tree at the edge of the forest clearing, far from his village home, to attract the unicorn.

At first, the forest was silent except for the soft crying of Clem tied to the tree. The king and his men hid behind some bushes and watched. Slowly, after some time, the unicorn appeared silver with its golden horn. Seeing Clem so hopeless and afraid mad the unicorn very sad. He moved to free the boy, but paused at a rustling in bushes. One of the king's men had dropped an arrow and, in his haste to retrieve it, had given away their hiding spot. They leaped out of the bush to face the unicorn. The unicorn looked at the king and saw the corruption of his friend. He turned into his frightful state once again, rearing up his horse legs as the light shimmer off his blue and green scales.

The king's men had not been expecting such a change. In their fright, they dropped their weapons and ran. But the king felt no fear in his heart, only the greed for the unicorns immortal power. So he grabbed his men's abandoned weapons and approached.

"You've had plenty of time and power on this Earth," reasoned the king. "Now it is time to share." The king turned his weapon on Clem who trembled in fear. "Give me the horn, or this young boy will die, and all of his goodness with him."

The unicorn knew nothing would stop the kings greed and this reality brought great sadness to the unicorns heart. Its big eyes began to get wet with tears thinking of how good and kind his friend had once been and how good and kind the small child Clem was. The unicorn knew that the king's corrupted heart was because of the power he had lent the king, which saddened the unicorn even more. Tears began streaming from the unicorns face and when he tossed his heads they flew across the air, landing on every part of its body from nose to tail.

"No," shouted the king, turning his weapon away from Clem and towards the unicorn instead.

But it was too late. The unicorn cried and cried and every place the tears touched,the unicorn began to turn to stone.

The king launched towards the unicorn to try and grab the horn before it was too late, but when the king's hand grasped the horn, it was nothing but an oddly shaped stone. In order to safe Clem and the goodness that still remained in the king's heart, the unicorn had turned to a rock, its power hidden and dormant, perhaps forever.

Instead of easing the king's corrupted heart, the evil grew more and more with rage. How would the king get the unicorn's power now? He turned his heads to the stars and heavens above and to them he proclaimed, "I will wait until the ends of time if it takes to get the power that is rightfully mine. Even if I disappear from the physical world, my spiteful spirit will remain for all time until the unicorn is mine!"

And so he has. Waiting in the forest for the day the unicorn is awoken again by a heart of kindness. Then the king will also awaken and take what he believes is his: the rock unicorn's horn and power."

"An excellent story," Erza proclaimed excitedly.

"I still have some questions," said Gray thoughtfully. "Like what ever happened to Clem?"

"I liked him as well," agreed Wendy.

Abaddon shrugged. "I only know what the story tells."

"I'm sure he lives happily ever after, since he's a good guy," Natsu assured Wendy. He peered up at the stars. "Lucy says good guys always live happily ever after in stories. This was a good one. I'll have to remember to tell Lucy when she gets back.

No one responded, though Happy put both paws over his mouth as if containing his comments and glee.

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	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: The Truth in the Tale

Lucy added another stick to her pile, long ago filled with enough wood for the camp she'd left behind. Still, she continued onward. The night was clear with only a few lazy clouds drifting passed the clear stars above. A breeze tickled her cheek as it passed and Lucy released a contented sigh into the quiet forest.

Normally, Lucy would be hesitant to be in such a place, especially when her teammates were likely causing trouble without her, but this forest put her at ease. It felt so safe and relaxing to walk aimlessly. Lucy paused to glance through the branches, spotting the twinkling constellation Gemini above her. The full moon provided a scattering of light through the leaves around her.

She'd started her adventures, all those years ago from the Heartfilia Estate, on a night like this. She remembered crawling ungracefully from her room down a rope of covers, which broke about three feet from the ground sending her sprawling unladylike on the hard ground. She'd walked all night under the moon, glancing up at the stars to make sure she was on the right track. When morning broke she found a thick bush and napped quickly before continuing on. It had all seemed to exciting and daring at the time.

Lucy smiled to herself, continuing on her way. Not so daring now. Now she'd been kidnapped, fell over numerous waterfalls and towers, survived S-class trials, almost become a clock, and fought a war that included defeating a dragon. Now she had a new definition of breeze blew passed, pushing Lucy's hair from her shoulder and scattering a few stray strands across her forehead. It felt calm & warm.

Erza, Natsu, Levy, Gray, Wendy, and all of Fairy Tail- Lucy wouldn't trade any of them for all the jewels in the world. Still, now that they were on this 100 years quest, she did miss her few moments of silence she could find back in Magnolia (until Natsu showed up in her bed or Gray appeared borrowing some food, or Erza arrived for an impromptu sleepover).

_Especially after that final fight in Ermina,_ Lucy thought. She frowned in the momentary darkness caused by a slow cloud covering the moon. She remembered Natsu after eating Ignia's flame. He'd been like some kind of beast, ready to tear the Water God Dragon limb from limb and burn him to ash if she'd let him. After he had been so concerned about fighting him earlier. Lucy shivered, though she wasn't cold. That Ignia's flame could change Natsu so much was what worried Lucy. What if she hadn't been there to bring him back? What if next time she couldn't?

_Is that what E.N.D. was like,_ she wondered. She'd never asked Natsu, just as Natsu had never asked her about rewriting the book. They both knew that when their best friend and partner was in trouble that they did what they could, for better or worse. Eventually it would come up, but Lucy knew that trying to pres Natsu to discuss or interpret his feelings or thoughts before he was ready would be a fruitless endeavor. _He offered to pee on me to heal my burns,_ she reminded herself, rolling her eyes with an amused smirk._ He's certainly not ready to discuss anything too seriously._

She'd asked Gray, in a more subtle way, but Gray had simply shrugged without much comment, perhaps equally ashamed by his behavior towards his friends when he thought Juvia had been killed. Only Erza had made any reference to it at all, telling Lucy that Natsu had simply lost control, as he often did. "He's never been much for control," Erza had observed to Lucy as Natsu took a punch to the face from Elfman. "He is lucky to have found a partner who compliments him." Lucy had spluttered into her drink and flushed from heat to toe in a deep red. Erza had a way of saying such beautiful, faltering, and embarrassing things.

She paused, looking around confused. She'd lost track of where she was headed while she was deep in thought and now seemed to be in the deepest sections of the forest. The trees here let in almost no light through their thick branches and leaves. _If I can find a hole in the trees, I can find my way back from the stars,_ Lucy considered. _Worse case scenario I'll call Pyxis. There is some light!_

She hurried towards the moonlight ahead. When she arrived she found that she was at a grassy clearing. Lucy looked up at the stars, noting the direction she'd need to head back, but something caught her eye. She moved towards the center of the clearing to investigate.

The clearing was covered in grass and a few wildflowers, but in the center of the clearing the grass stopped growing and only a dirt circle remained. Within this dirt was a large boulder. Lucy walked around the edge of the grass circle, peering at the boulder. The boulder looked distinctly horse like, except for a long jagged point from its head, like an antler or horn.

Something about the setting and stone rang of a story. Lucy dropped the wood and pulled out her pen and notebook that she kept with her and jotted down some thoughts quickly. _Girl goes into forest, stumbles upon strange rock, except its not a rock. A horse? _

_"_Then what," Lucy wondered aloud, tapping her pen to her cheek in though. At this new angle, Lucy could see moss growing where a mane might have been. Lucy had an urge to touch it. She tucked her pen into her hair, stepping from the grass into the dirt to place her hand on the mossy mane. Another cloud covered the moon, throwing the clearing into a gray darkness. A strong wind picked up, tossing dirt into the air and forcing Lucy to cover her eyes with her hands to protect them.

As suddenly as it had started, it was gone. The cloud moved, the clearing was bathed in moonlight, and the wind died away, taking the dirt storm with it. Lucy opened her eyes.

Before her stood a beast with the body of a deer and the hooves and head of a horse. Blue and green scales covered its body except for its silver mane which flew about as if made of flames instead of hair. In the center of its forehead was a single horn, almost like an antler. It tossed its head and made a deep, guttural sound, like a yawn mixed with a groan, causing Lucy to leap back in surprise. Lucy's foot hit her forgotten pile of wood and she fell backward onto the ground, butt first.

The creature's large grey eyes moved to her lazily, as if just noticing her presence. It moved across the dirt to the edge of the grass, stepping onto the grass so lightly that it seemed to be floating more than walking towards her.

Lucy stared, mouth open in a dumbstruck expression as the creature bowed its head within arms length, grey eye watching her expectantly.

"You want me to pet you," she asked. The creature replied with a snort of air from its snout, which Lucy took to mean yes. She reached out and ran her hand gently across its nose. In response the creature made a satisfied humming noise and in a flash of light it transformed into a silver coated horse with a single horn from its forehead.

"A unicorn," Lucy breathed. She glanced back at the rock in the center of the clearing. It was gone.

The unicorn's head shot up, ears moving as if hearing something that Lucy could not. It looked back at her and though she didn't know how, Lucy knew exactly what the unicorn was instructing her to do. So she obeyed.

Jumping up, wood forgotten behind her, Lucy ran as fast as she could through the forest away from the clearing. She ran hopping over exposed roots and ducking under low branches until she finally reached the glow of Team Natsu's camp to find her team around a fire with unfamiliar travelers sharing tea from a kettle.

"Lucy," Natsu said jumping up. "Are you alright?"

Lucy tried to catch her breath. They had no idea of the unicorn or the unknown dangers Lucy had just escaped from within the peaceful forest.

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	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Wolf in Sheep Clothing

Lucy couldn't sleep. She was laying in her sleeping bag listening to the sleepy mumbles and breathing of Wendy, Carla, and Erza. She closed her eyes again, willing herself to the world of dreams. _Come on, Lucy, you have to sleep! You're suppose to make it to Tekka tomorrow,_ she urged herself, _count sheep_. So she tried to imagine sheep until she reached 475 and they turned into leaping unicorns with silver coats and a single horn on each of their foreheads. Lucy opened her eyes again and sighed defeated.

"Well, I suppose I'll go for a stretch and see if that helps clear out my mind," she muttered to herself, grabbing her pouch of keys before she went.

"Yes,yes," replied the sleepy Erza. "And don't forget the strawberries. The cake won't work without them."

"Right," Lucy assured her with a slight smile.

Outside the sky was just starting to move from a dark black to a dark blue, the sun beginning to make the stars disappear one by one even before it appeared across the horizon. The air, which had felt so calm and still on her walk, now seemed to vibrate with energy waiting to be released. Lucy held out her arms in the air, trying to capture the energy in her hands. It was almost electric. She moved quietly towards the boys tent, but even from a few feet away she could hear their loud snores from within.

_How can they sleep through this, _Lucy wondered. _Natsu normally senses this sort of thing long before anyone else._

Sighing she went back to the place their camp fire had once been, now just a circle of ash. She watched a small, almost untraceable breeze move across the ash, making a few flakes dance in the pile. One spun away from the rest, pirouetting in the air in before floating off entirely- onto it's own adventure.

"You woke it up, didn't you?"

Lucy turned, startled at the voice. Leaning against the forest entrance was the storyteller from before, Abaddon.

"What are you doing here," Lucy asked confused.

"I don't know why I'm asking, its all over your face. Even if I couldn't smell the magic on you."

"You can SMELL me," Lucy asked crossing her arms, a flush spreading across her face.

"Not you, idiot," Abaddon snapped. "The magic. I can smell the unicorn's magic on you, mixed with your magic. That reminds me- Arawn?"

Before Lucy could react she felt a snake like rope wrapping itself around her arms and torso, pinning her arms in their crossed position, far from the keys that sat on her hip. The rope continued to wrap up around her neck and across her mouth, silencing her potential outbursts of indignation.

"We've got her, so let's go," Arawn hissed. "I don't want to run into her friends."

"Then you shouldn't have come to our camp," Gray informed them. He was standing very heroically in front of a stern looking Erza, a pissed off looking Natsu, and Wendy, who was rubbign sleep from her eyes but was still focused looking. All seemed to be taking a fighting stance. Lucy's face flushed even darker and she squeezed her eyes shut. Gray was completely naked.

"Gray," Erza said, "Please put on some clothes."

"Damn it," Gray snapped leaping back to the tent. Erza re-equipped into a cheetah-patterned armor with bare armor protruding from the upper part of it with some fur lining the lower edges, exposing her stomach and cleavage. Her lower half had no armor, but was covered by black shorts, with a belt holding a cloth hanging over her left leg. Her arms were covered by dark armbands reaching up just below her shoulders. Her left arm &leg were protected by cheetah-patterned armor, while the right side remained bare, only a calf-high boot protecting her right left. The outfit is completed by a large collar around her neck and by a tail hanging from the back of her shorts, both made of bushy fur, plus a pair of large cheetah's ears adorning both sides of her head. Her flight armor was completed with two swords appearing in either hand.

"Why don't you let our friend go and we can fight this out fair and square," Natsu growled, his hands igniting in flames.

"Fair and square? Against the likes of you," Abaddon snapped, pulling a dagger from his thigh pocket and holding it to Lucy's neck. All eyes moved to the dagger. Natsu gritted his teeth. "Not possible. I can smell we're outmatched even in a one-on-one fight."

"What would traveling story-tellers want with a Fairy Tail mage," Erza asked. "Especially when they know they could face such a defeat?"

"We don't have to explain anything," Arawn replied. "Anaconda's grip!"

The ropes that had been quietly sneaking towards the mages now sprang forward, wrapping themselves hurriedly around Natsu, Wendy, Happy, and Carla and beginning to squeeze as an anaconda would. Erza, however, dodged the rope, leaping just out of reach and charging towards Arawn, sword pulled back ready to attack.

"I wouldn't," called Abaddon, pushing his dagger just slightly more against Lucy's throat, causing a dot of blood to appear. Erza leaped back, landing across from Arawn and watching him carefully. She'd have to plan her next moved more carefully with Lucy trapped as she was. Erza scanned the scene, trying to think of the best plan of action given the unfolding scene.

"Whats' with this rope," Natsu demanded, gasping for air, "I can't use my magic!"

"You won't be able to use your lungs soon either," snapped Arawn, then he turned to Abaddon. "Let's go already!"

"You're right, let's -OOF!"

Lucy cut him off mid-sentence, slamming her left bare foot down on his left foot, then quickly bringing her right heel up between his legs with as much power as she could muster. The knife moved from her neck to her arm, but not before slashing her shoulder, making her hiss in pain behind her gag. Abaddon let out a string of cusses at her. Lucy could feel the ropes tightening around her neck now, cutting off her air way, making her vision go dark. Across the campsite, she could see Wendy and Natsu also blinking back their loss of air. They'd all pass out soon if Erza or Gray didn't get rid of these ropes.

"We're ready to go," called Arawn, seeming to speak to the sunrise painted sky.

"No you're not! Ice cannon," Gray called, shooting ice towards Arawn. Arawn moved his right hand and a wall of flames appeared, blocking the iceball and melting it instantly. With his other hand he sliced the air producing enough wind to blow Erza out of her charging stance and right into a tree, her spine meeting the trunk with an unpleasant sound of impact. Natsu, Wendy, and Lucy all slumped in their spots unconscious.

"You have fire and air power," Gray snapped glancing to each of his fallen comrades quickly. Above Lucy and Abaddon, the sky looked odd, as if something were ripping open there. As if there was a tear forming in the very sky itself.

"My ropes borrow magic and lend it to me," Arawn smirked. "It's not as strong as the original mage, but it'll do for an escape."

In a flash Arawn moved both hands again, this time sending a tornado of flames Gray's way, making him leap out of its path. Arawn made it to Abaddon's side and both began to rise, sucked into the sky by some unseen force. The tear had opened into a black and blue vortex. As they rose, their speed increased and by the time Gray had risen to charge again, the three of them- Arawn, Abaddon, and Lucy- were gone.

"Fuck," Gray screamed to the now peach colored sky, perfect as if there had never been split at all. Behind him, he heard the snap of a rope. He spun to check on his other teammates to see Erza leaning over Natsu in her Nakagami Armor. She took the large halberd carefully between Natsu's arm and the rope, pulling up and making the rope snap and fall away as any rope would. Natsu coughed, face down on the ground, before rolling to his side and inhaling as much air as he could, releasing a few more coughs. Erza transformed back into her regular armor, peering at them all concerned.

"Are you all alright?"

"Those meanies tried to kill us," whined Happy.

"And they took Lucy," rasped Wendy, rubbing her throat gingerly.

"But why," Carla wondered aloud. "Their whole purpose here was to take her without a fight. But they barely spoke to her at all last night. Why would they take her?"

"It doesn't matter," Natsu said, pushing himself up carefully one arm at a time. "They hurt Lucy and we're gonna find her and get her back."

"They hurt her," repeated Gray. "I didn't see that."

"I can smell her blood," Natsu said darkly, tapping his nose. "Let's find them and show them what Fairy Tail is really made of."

**Thanks for reading & don't forget to review! Also, read the most recent chapter of 100 year quest and I'm looovvviinnggg iiitttt! It always leaves me wanting more!**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: The Five Sons of Imperium

Natsu was stuck and getting more frustrated by the minute. He could tell Lucy had been here, but two steps in any direction and her scent disappeared. Had the vortex taken the remnants of her scent with her?

"Maybe this is the wrong approach," Gray suggested. Natsu glanced at him with narrowed eyes.

"You don't think we should find Lucy, ice for brains" he demanded.

Gray rolled his eyes and sighed. "That's not what I meant, idiot. They took Lucy away wrapped in those magic ropes and into some vortex. Maybe it covered her scent. But, they weren't covered and they had to be nearby to attack so early in the morning."

"We should track their scents," Wendy agreed. Gray gave Natsu a triumphant look, which Natsu ignored, clenching his fists. He closed his eyes sifting through his memory to try and pinpoint the scents of Arawn or Abaddon. _You need to calm down,_ Natsu coached himself, _you're not going to be able to find Lucy at all if you don't concentrate now. _

"I think I found it," Wendy said shyly. Natsu's eyes snapped open gratefully. Calming down was not one of his strength.

"Lead the way, Wendy," Erza encouraged.

They moved through the forest carefully, pausing for every snap of a branch or rustle of a wind until they came to an abandoned campsite, two larger blue tents set up with a pit of ash where a fire once had been. They spread out to investigate, Wendy making her way to the first tent and confirming it belonged to the two story-tellers or whatever they were.

"These are nice tents," Erza said touching the fabric. "A fine silk. Certainly much nicer than travelling storytellers should be able to afford."

"I think we can rule out storytellers and maybe consider treasure hunters," Gray agreed, poking his head out from the other tent. "Look what I've found."

He emerged completely bringing with him parcels of paper and laying them on the ground for everyone to see.

"Maps of the forest, messy travel notes, and some kind of order with instructions," Carla observed. "Why would they leave these all behind to be found."

"They probably meant to come back," Erza said taking the map and noting the many crosses on it. One one circle outlined a clearing in the trees. "Whatever it is they were seeking, they expected to find it in the middle of the forest, perhaps get it, then break down camp and return home."

"But instead they took Lucy," Natsu grumbled, kicking a stone. He didn't care about these notes, they were wasting time.

"They were looking for the unicorn from the story," Carla said. Everyone turned to her. She had laid out the notes before her and was scanning through them quickly. "You see, here they say the story is true and they found evidence of it. Here they outline changes in the forest's natural atmosphere, which they say proves their close to the unicorn. But here, they say its gone."

"So they're crazy," Natsu said. "This doesn't explain why they took Lucy or where they are."

"It seems to be by order of the King," Erza replied. "This letter says the king himself wants the unicorns horn and that its power should be brought to him by any means necessary."

"Indeed, by any means necessary!"

The group jumped in surprise at the new voice behind them. Turning and readying themselves for battle they found a tall well built man with an over the top blond mustache and piercing sky blue eyes standing beside a slender woman. He was attired in clothes to match the grandeur of his mustache, a dark blue military uniform, silver buttons shining in the light and hands covered in white gloves. Not a spec of dirt showed from his clothes. The woman was also dressed in a dark blue military uniform, but the coat seemed a size too big and her blonde hair was braided down her back, nearly to the floor.

"It's so very rude to arrive unannounced in a place you don't belong," the man observed, running his sky blue eyes across them all. Natsu felt a shudder run over him, just as the rest of the team did. Something was off about this man and his eyes.

"We are from Fairy Tail. We are looking for our friend who was kidnapped by the owners of this camp," Erza stated, pointing at the two. "Identify yourselves."

"I am Firmitas and this is my brother, Compassio," replied the woman, slowly unbuttoning her over-sized jacket. In a fluid movement she pulled it off to reveal a tight white tank top tucked into her properly sized military pants. "By the order of the King and in the honor of the Five Sons of Imperium, we will destroy you."

"Five Sons of-" Natsu began, but before he could finish, the two were lunging towards them, swords suddenly drawn from areas Natsu couldn't fathom.

Erza's swords rained down creating a wall between them and forcing the two enemies to leap back, quickly dodging the swords and returning to their starting places.

"Mage of swords," observed the woman, "That wasn't mentioned, but it does make it more interesting."

"Natsu, Gray, Wendy," Erza commanded, eyes never leaving the new opponents. "Take Happy & Carla and go to find Lucy."

"Carla and I will stay to assist," Wendy said, jumping next to Erza. Carla nodded, transforming into her human shape and taking a battle position.

"Alright," Natsu agreed. "Be safe."

Wendy, Erza, and Carla nodded in response.

"Let's go," Gray said and they rushed off through the opposite side of the woods.

"Not so fast," Compassio began, leaping towards their retreating backs, but this time he was met with a blast of wind from Wendy's Dragon Roar and he fell through the air, doing a slight tumble before landing again on his feet in his first place.

"We are your opponents," Wendy informed them.

The woman licked her lips, eyeing Erza's swords that still stuck in the ground. "Good," she replied. "Then let's have some fun."

...

"Do you have a scent," Gray asked as they slowed their pace. Natsu paused, sniffing the air.

"It's faint, a few days old, but it's them alright. This way," he motioned ahead. _We're coming, Lucy, don't worry and stay safe._

"She'll be fine," Gray assured as they ducked under low branches. "I'm sure of it."

Natsu sent him a toothy grin. "I know it," he assured Gray. "She's Lucy!" _But I'd still like to make sure, with my own eyes, nothing happens to her,_ Natsu added to himself.

After about thirty minutes of following the faint scent, the forest began to thin and a castle began to rise in the distance. By the time the mages exited the forest entirely, they were close enough to see the four large turrets, each with a dark blue flag waving above, the same color as the tents from the campsite.

"The scent is headed towards the castle," Natsu said, then he paused. "Watch out!" He punched Gray's arm, pushing him out of the way just as Happy grabbed Natsu's shoulders to heave him into the air. The sudden movements were met with a string of cussing, as two sets of rope were pulled back to their owner.

"I thought I could manage if I was downwind, but I suppose that nose of yours is just a bit too keen," Arawn said with a shrug. Gray jumped up, ice already tingling on his fingers ready to go.

"Arawn," Natsu called from above. "Where's Lucy?"

"I can't believe you told us such a good story only to ruin it by taking our friend," huffed Happy indignantly. "We could have been friends!"

Arawn rolled his eyes. "Friends with commoners? That's beneath me. No one from the Sons of Imperium would ever dirty themselves in that way. Now come closer and I'll show you your proper place."

"I was hoping we'd run into our friend again," Gray told Natsu, "I'll take care of him. You head towards the castle and find Lucy."

"Not so fast," Arawn demanded, sending a rope towards Happy's wing, but it landed on the ground- the top frozen by an icicle shaped like an anchor. Happy used the extra moment to fly away as quickly as he could, leaving Gray to watch as Arawn pulled back the rope, the ice disappearing as it returned.

"You've forgotten my gift," Arawn smirked. He held up another rope, spinning the top portion like a lasso as ice appeared at the top, molding itself into an icicle so sharp that it was almost a harpoon.

"I haven't forgotten," Gray assured him. "But a copy-cat like you can't possibly beat the real thing."

...

They entered the castle through the first available turret window, landing silently and glancing around. The scent of Abaddon and Arawn was everywhere, mingled with other scents that Natsu now recognized as the two opponents they'd met at the campsite.

"I don't smell Lucy anywhere here," Natsu admitted sniffing about.

"If it's a castle," Happy said thoughtfully, "I bet there is a dungeon and a dungeon is where you keep prisoners."

"Good point," Natsu agreed. He wrapped his scarf around his head so only his eyes could be seen. "Lets go, like ninjas."

They hurried down the tower as silently as ninjas, though they didn't run into anyone to hide from. When they reached the main floor of the castle they looked around.

"Natsu," Happy whispered, landing on his shoulder. "For such a big castle, this place is really empty."

"We haven't even seen any guards," Natsu agreed, unwrapping his scarf. "Ninja mode not needed."

"Naaaattssssuuuuu," Happy whined. "Do you smell that?"

Natsu licked his lips and his stomach growled. There might not have been any guards, but there was definitely some delicious food near by. Natsu glanced around and saw a door ajar.

"I think it's from there," Natsu said eagerly. "But we have to find Lucy first."

"What if Lucy IS there," Happy suggested. "Maybe they're feeding her until she explodes."

"Good point, buddy," Natsu agreed. "Better investigate to make sure."

They moved inside and saw a long table, stacked with food of all kinds: desserts at one end and meats at another, some greenery of vegetables in the middle. At the very head of the table sat a huge round man with ruby cheeks and a gleeful expression.

"Hoy," he called waving to them. "Come and eat. I can't possibly finish this on my own."

"Wow," Happy said excitedly moving forward, but Natsu grabbed him by the tail, looking at the man suspiciously.

"Is this your castle," Natsu asked moving forward slowly, trying his best not to be distracted by the food.

"It's my father," said the round man. "I'm Ventri, firstborn and first in line for the throne. As my guest here, I insist you eat."

"Well," Natsu reasoned, sitting down next to a particularly juicy looking chicken leg. "It'd be rude not to."

"What brings you to visit my friend," Ventri called from across the table. Even with Natsu sitting the table was so long and food stacked so high that it made it difficult to hear one another at a normal tone.

"Omph wouking poormph um fwumph," Natsu replied, mouth full. He swallowed, ready to repeat himself without food, but Ventri was apparently fluent in Natsu's stuffed-face language.

"Ah, friendship," Ventri sighed dreamily. "As delectable as a warm cookie with milk. My friends are also out today taking care of business and my father is following his ambitions. Leaving me and this feast, until you arrived."

"She's not gone by choice," Happy said, munching on a fish.

"Maybe you've seen her," Natsu asked in between bites of the kabob. "Shes about this tall, blonde, has keys, dressed in pajamas, a little revealing. Goes by Lucy."

Ventri paused in his eating and stared at Natsu, who didn't think it was that odd. Some people stared when they thought. Ventri sighed and pushed his chair back from his table.

"And here I thought we could be friends," Ventri said sadly. "But you are an enemy of my friends."

"What do you- HEY!"

Before Natsu could respond, Ventri grabbed hold of the table they were sitting at and ran it into Natsu's stomach, tossing him across the room and making him spit out the kabob he had been working on. Happy hovered over head.

"Are you okay, Natsu?"

"Yeah I'm fine," Natsu replied, rubbing his stomach where the table had hit. "What's the big idea? You invited us to eat!"

"That was before I knew you were after the girl," Ventri said, bringing the table down to smash on top of Natsu's head. Instead, it hit Natsu's defensive arm, creating a crack in the table itself. Ventri lifted it again to repeat the action, but this time Natsu caught it with his hands, flames beginning to appear and singe the strong wood.

"You know where Lucy is," he growled. "Where is she?"

"In the name of the Five Sons of Imperium," Ventri called "I'll kill you before I reveal anything!"

"I'll make you eat those words," Natsu growled, increasing his flames so the table lit on fire, the piece in his hands turning to ash almost instantly.

**Thanks for reading & don't forget to review! The next few chapters will be focused on the fights and then what's happening with Lucy. Hope you enjoy!**


	6. Chapter 6

Chpt 6: Erza & Wendy vs. Firmitas & Compassio

_"I am Firmitas and this is my brother, Compassio," replied the woman, slowly unbuttoning her over-sized jacket. In a fluid movement she pulled it off to reveal a tight white tank top tucked into her properly sized military pants. "By the order of the King and in the honor of the Five Sons of Imperium, we will destroy you."_

_"Five Sons of-" Natsu began, but before he could finish, the two were lunging towards them, swords suddenly drawn from areas Natsu couldn't fathom._

_Erza's swords rained down creating a wall between them and forcing the two enemies to leap back, quickly dodging the swords and returning to their starting places._

_"Mage of swords," observed the woman, "That wasn't mentioned, but it does make it more interesting."_

_"Natsu, Gray, Wendy," Erza commanded, eyes never leaving the new opponents. "Take Happy & Carla and go to find Lucy."_

_"Carla and I will stay to assist," Wendy said, jumping next to Erza. Carla nodded, transforming into her human shape and taking a battle position._

_"Alright," Natsu agreed. "Be safe."_

_Wendy, Erza, and Carla nodded in response._

_"Let's go," Gray said and they rushed off through the opposite side of the woods._

_"Not so fast," Compassio began, leaping towards their retreating backs, but this time he was met with a blast of wind from Wendy's Dragon Roar and he fell through the air, doing a slight tumble before landing again on his feet in his first place._

_"We are your opponents," Wendy informed them._

_The woman licked her lips, eyeing Erza's swords that still stuck in the ground. "Good," she replied. "Then let's have some fun."_

Still in her Heavens-wheel armor, Erza launched herself towards Firmitas. Firmitas looked bored, despite the opponent decked in silver metal, with an upper portion only consisting of a small, revealing breastplate that extended along the hips. Wendy had always thought this armor, composed of feather-shaped plates pointing upwards with a large metal flower on the front and Erza's biceps covered by metal straps was one of the most intimidating looking armors Erza had, especially with the metal wings fully exposed.

Despite the power and agility of the suit, Firmitas moved to the side, dodging the swords Erza used easily. Reaching into the sky, Erza pulled another sword and moved swiftly towards Firmitas. This time, Firmitas waited until Erza was just about to strike before jumping to the left of the sword, touching it with her fingers on one hand, while using her other to attempt to stab Erza in the side.

"Fast wind that run the heaven... VERNIER," Wendy called and just in time too. With the speed enhancement, Erza was able to slip away, leaving her sword behind.

"No fun to run," Firmitas scolded.

Erza narrowed her eyes at her opponent. Something was wrong. She was concentrating her magical energy, but her swords felt heavier. Just when Firmitas had touched it, it was as if the sword had increased in weight. If it hadn't been for Wendy, Erza knew she would have a dagger sticking out of her side. The solution, Erza considered, would be to stay far enough away that Firmitas couldn't touch her, at least until she could figure out this magic. She re-equiped into her Giants armor. This armor featured massive pauldrons on both sides. The left gauntlet covered her forearm and had a fur lining around the wrist, whereas the right gauntlet, which lacks fur, was noticeably larger and rounder as it extends down to her hand. With this armor, she could increases her power when throwing something. She pulled a spear from her armory. That would do. Just to pin her down and, perhaps, reveal her opponents secret.

"Not as pretty as your last armor," Firmitas observed. She moved her hands rapidly in an incantation as Erza pulled her arm back to throw, but she felt an odd sensation beneath her. The ground beneath her was turning to sand. Her armor was now too heavy for the ground, but how? This had never happened before.

"Sky Dragon Claw," Wendy called, sending a slash of wind towards Firmitas, who was pushed from her spot and slammed against a tree. Erza pulled herself back out before the ground returned to normal.

"You brat," snarled Firmitas leaping up. "And I suppose your cat-human has my brother distracted. Useless as always!"

"Wind Dragon Roar," Wendy called, but Firmitas was ready this time. She widened her stance and beneath her the ground began to buckle. Was she increasing her weight? The wind wiped past Firmitas, but as the air settled, she looked untouched and unmoved. Firmitas smiled, phasing effortlessly into the ground beneath where she stood as if she were sinking into water.

"Wendy,be vigilant!" Erza called in warning. She re-equipped quickly into her normal armor, eyes scanning the ground hurriedly. Was their opponent a earth magic user? No, that wouldn't explain why her sword had become so heavy. Erza's eyes caught sight of the tree just behind Wendy, where a face seemed to be forming, like one being pushed through sand, then an arm, and then-

"Wendy," Erza called, throwing her sword at the image, but with the wave of Firmitas' hand the sword dropped to the ground with a heavy thunk. Wendy turned just in time to lunge away from the tree and out of the way, much to Erza's relief.

"Density," Erza called to Wendy. "It has to be density. How else could her magic effect my armor and the surroundings in such a way!"

"True," Firmitas replied, fully released from the tree and leaning against it lazily. She pointed to Wendy as she spoke. "I can change the density of any matter. I can make every armor and sword you have so light that it floats away or so dense that it crushes you to death. I could reach into her chest like it were a pool of water and pull out her heart before she knew what was happening."

Wendy coughed, one knee dropping to the ground as Erza moved to help her. "Oh no," Firmitas said, "Currently I'm increasing the density of the air in her lungs."

Erza knew what she had to do without planning. She had to get Firmitas attention on her instead of Wendy. All the other matter had gone back to normal once Firmitas had lost concentration on it. Hopefully the air in Wendy's lungs would as well.

Erza lunged at Firmitas in her speed armor. It did the trick. Firmitas had to leap into the air to miss Erza's jab and Wendy gasped for air and coughed twice, the air in her lungs returning to normal.

Erza went through her armor rapidly, trying her best to re-equip faster than Firmitas could predict the density of her armor, and thus change it. Wind God armor, Purgatory Armor, Flame Empress Armor, Lightning empress armor- all had mixed reactions. In her piercing armor she was able to get two quick jabs before Firmitas grabbed hold of the lance and crushed it in her hand. Erza moved quickly to her Adamantine Armor, with its silver plates that were so powerful it had even stopped Phantom Lord's Jupiter attack. The armor was too predictable. Firmitas reached forward and shattered it as if it were glass.

Erza let out a cry of pain, leaping back from the fight to nurse her leg. A deep cut was there.

"I'll admit you're the best I've killed by a long shot," Firmitas huffed, wiping blood from her jaw. "But it was only a matter of time before you both died."

_How am I suppose to defeat someone who can destroy any matter, _Erza thought hurriedly. She could see Firmitas was getting ready to attack, but she couldn't think what armor would finish this without her death. _All of my armor is made of matter. Wait! _It was her only option. She re-equiped one last time.

This armor was composed of orange and yellow leather-like material, sported in the form of several orange wing-shaped pauldrons that covered her shoulders and waist. The shoulder pauldrons had white wings protruding from the center of the shoulder guard and the pauldrons surrounding her waist was held up by a simple dark pink belt from the front. She wore metal arm guards and large bolded knee guards over a pair of high-heeled armored greaves that covered her calves. Her Morning star armor. Taking her jewel wield swords in her hands, she focused her magical energy on the jewel and released a focused energy blast directly at Firmitas, who held up her hands as if to catch the attack, a smile pulled across her lips that quickly turned into a look of shocked fear.

The blast of energy hit Firmitas so hard that it knocked her into the tree behind her and threw both a few yards away, knocking down trees that stood in their way.

Erza dropped to her uninjured knee, and let out a breath of relief. "You can't change the density of pure energy," Erza sighed.

Erza looked around, catching sight of Wendy and Compassio. He was frozen in surprise, eyes scanning the destruction to his sister's fallen form, then to Erza, and finally back to Wendy, who looked determined despite having tears in her eyes.

"I see," Compassio called. Just as Wendy widened her stance to attack, Compassio turned tail and ran out of sight. A full blown retreat.

"Come back here, you coward," called Carla, but Wendy didn't care. She hurried to Erza and inspected the cut on her leg, wrapping her hands around it to work on healing it.

"What happened," Erza asked. "Why'd he run?"

"He manipulates emotions," Carla said. "He incapacitated me, but Wendy was able to break free and once he saw you defeated his sister he must have thought his chances were too slim to win."

"He's probably run back to get the rest of their team," Wendy agreed. "They called themselves the Five Sons of Imperium, so there must be three others."

"We'll follow him," Erza agreed. "Their connected to Lucy's kidnapping, so they will be able to give us some information."

Wendy nodded as she removed her hands, revealing Erza's leg now had a scratch where the gash once was.

"It's our only lead since this one won't be much help," Carla agreed motioning to Firmitas fallen form.

"With any luck we'll run into Natsu and Gray on the way," Erza agreed, standing and testing her leg gingerly. She nodded her thanks to Wendy, who , the three of them moved to follow the path Compassio's figure had disappeared.

**_Thanks for reading & I hope you enjoyed! Don't forget to review!_**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Natsu vs. Ventri

Lucy's head was pounding. She groaned and rolled to the side, touching one hand to her temple, the other to her hip. Her pouch was still there, which was a relief after everything that had happened throughout her night and morning.

Lucy sat up as the memories came flooding back, looking around the room for any sign of danger. There didn't seem to be any. In fact, the room she was in seemed homely and peaceful. She felt a wave of relief flow over her. She stood and stretched, taking a better look around. She seemed to be in a one or two room cabin. Glancing about she spotted a mixture of furniture for a bedroom and living room together. The only additional doorway was open revealing a tidy kitchen with a covered frying pan and a delicious smell coming from it. Her stomach growled loudly.

"Lucy," she scolded, "remember your manners."

She headed towards the exit, ignoring the loud protest her stomach gave. She pushed it open slowly, peering out to see the afternoon sun already high in the sky and the forest all around them. It seemed safe to exit. She took a deep breath, feeling the same sense of ease wash over her as she stretched her arms up in the sun. Her wrists had a few bruises from the ropes, but they'd disappear sooner or later.

"You're awake!"

Lucy spun left to face the voice, Loke's key in hand. Instead of finding one of her kidnappers, she found herself looking at an older man with kind dark eyes and scruffy hair and beard. His eyes twinkled at her surprise, his arms full of wood.

"Where am I," asked Lucy carefully.  
"In the woods between Ermina & Tekka," the man replied, his face scrunched in concern. "You seemed pretty unharmed, but I was worried something happened before I discovered you. Do you know your name?"

"Yes of course," replied Lucy. "My names Lucy and I'm from Fairy Tail!"

"Good, good. If you remember that then there isn't any sort of permanent damage to your head or heart. The heart and head are where we keep all of our true self- our memories- good and bad." the man beamed kindly. "It is nice to meet you, Lucy. I'm Basileus. What brings you to these forests?"

"My friends and I were just passing through when we were ambushed,"Lucy explained. She scanned the tree line. "You haven't seen anyone else around have you?"

"Now that you mention it..." Basileus took a large step to the left to reveal the fallen figure of a man. Lucy gasped and moved forward to peer at him.

"That's one of the guys who kidnapped me," she said. He looked strange. She reached out and touched his neck, where a pulse should have been. She gulped, "He's dead."

Basileus nodded solemnly. "You see my confusion then. When I found you, you were both sprawled on the ground out cold. I checked both your pulses and found him dead and you knocked out. Any ideas what could have happened?"

"None," said Lucy, bringing her hand to her chin in thought. "He had a friend with him. Maybe something went wrong and that's who killed him?"

"Perhaps," Basileus agreed, though he eyed Lucy suspiciously. She held up her hands defensively.

"I swear it wasn't me," she said. "I passed out when their ropes tied me up and cut off my breathing."

"Well, there is only one thing to do," Basileus said ominously, taking a step towards Lucy. Lucy gulped and took a step back, touching her key and trying to think of a plan quickly. The forest was all around them, so if she needed to, she could rush into it. Hopefully she wouldn't get lost, although being lost would be better than being attacked. In fact, she might find Natsu & Erza if she fled the right way.

"We'll have to eat some breakfast and try to figure it all out," Basileus said beaming. He turned towards the cabin entrance. "Come on."

Lucy let out a sigh of relief. She was hungry and the man seemed alright, now that she was sure he wasn't attacking her. She let her eyes scan the tree line again. A flash of a white coat and a golden horn caught her eye. She took a step towards it, but the Unicorn turned and sprinted away and out of sight.

"Well, he must be an alright old man if the unicorn is near by," Lucy said cheerfully. "Besides, if he knows the forest he can give me directions to find Natsu and the others faster."

Her stomach growled in agreement as she hurried to a place at the kitchen table.

...

_Before Natsu could respond, Ventri grabbed hold of the table they were sitting at and ran it into Natsu's stomach, tossing him across the room and making him spit out the kabob he had been working on. Happy hovered over head._

_"Are you okay, Natsu?"_

_"Yeah I'm fine," Natsu replied, rubbing his stomach where the table had hit. "What's the big idea? You invited us to eat!"_

_"That was before I knew you were after the girl," Ventri said, bringing the table down to smash on top of Natsu's head. Instead, it hit Natsu's defensive arm, creating a crack in the table itself. Ventri lifted it again to repeat the action, but this time Natsu caught it with his hands, flames beginning to appear and singe the strong wood._

_"You know where Lucy is," he growled. "Where is she?"_

_"In the name of the Five Sons of Imperium," Ventri called "I'll kill you before I reveal anything!"_

_"I'll make you eat those words," Natsu growled, increasing his flames so the table lit on fire, the piece in his hands turning to ash almost instantly._

Ventri paid no mind, pulling the table out of Natsu's grasp and throwing it to the side. From his hip he pulled the strangest sword Natsu had ever seen.

"Is that a giant fork," Happy asked.

"Come closer and find out, cat," Ventri called jovially as he lunged towards Natsu. "The Five sons of Imperium as always prepared for anything!"

"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist," Natsu called, engulfing his fist in flames and punching Ventri right in the stomach. To his suprise, his fist bounced off Ventri and ran back into Natsu's own nose, making him stagger back in suprise. Ventri's rotund belly simply jiggled as if made of jelly.

"What the hell," demanded Natsu flabbergasted by this development.

"Why are you called the Five Sons of Imperium,"Happy asked confused. "You all keep announcing it and no one is explaining anything."

"What the hell are you made of," Natsu demanded, pointing at Ventri's gut.

Ventri let out another laugh, lunging towards Natsu, pinning him to the wall in between the two sharp edges of his forked sword. "The Sons of Imperium are the guardians of our land while the King is away. My siblings and I are dedicated to keeping the kingdom alive and well until his return."

"The king from the unciorn story," Happy asked.

Natsu ignited his feet in flames, using the force to propel himself out from between the fork. In the air, he moved his foot in a roundhouse kick, making contact with Ventri's chest this time. Again, Ventri's body took the impact like jiggly gelatin, sending the force right back at Natsu who found himself spinning in the air until he crashed uncomfortable on the floor again. This was getting obnoxious!

"How am I suppose to fight you if you're made of pudding," Natsu demanded leaping up again.

Ventri ignored him, looking up at the hovering cat before him. Faster than it seemed possible for a man so large, his arm shot out and grabbed Happy's tail, pulling him from the air and peering at him. "Ah! You've met my brother Abaddon or Compassio I see. Yes, I suppose that king is the same as my father, though you can't always believe children's stories." A creepy smile that Happy did not like at all pulled across Ventri's face. "Are you a tasty cat?"

"NATSU," Happy called. "HE'S TRYING TO EAT ME!"

This time Natsu's fist hit Ventri right in the jaw, making him drop Happy's tail and stagger back, touching his jaw with a pout.

"Your brother said that the king was corrupted by the unicorn," Natsu said, eyes narrowing at Ventri. His anger was rising at the same rate as his body temperature, making flames begin to engulf him as he watched the round man shift his forked sword from one hand to the other. "Is he using Lucy to try and get the unicorn like he used that little boy before? Is that his plan?"

Before Ventri could respond, Natsu was rushing at him. Right hook. Left hook. Quick jab to the nose and jaw, all the while using his flames and first to aim for Ventri's head and avoid his massive jiggling gut. It seemed to be working as a strategy, but then Ventri's hand grasped Natsu's leg and pulled him down against the ground, hard enough to dent the stone below.

"I told you not to believe everything in children's stories," Ventri said, wiping some blood from his nose. He took his forked sword and spun it before bringing it down on Natsu's figure. Natsu's flaming hands reached out and caught the blades, focusing on rising the heat to attempt to melt the sword. He could feel the metal cutting into his hands and a line of blood trickled down his arm.

"FIRE DRAGON ROAR!" Natsu called, spraying flames into Ventri's face and finally forcing the large man into the air. His body flew in an arc until it landed on the floor where he lay motionless.

Natsu sat up, looking at his hands, which were both cut in the center. He shrugged, wiping the blood on his pants. He'd had worse.

"Lucy is going to be mad you grabbed a sword with you hands," Happy teased. "Especially when you could have used dragon roar before."

Natsu paled at the thought of Lucy scolding him for his lack of planning. "I'll have Wendy fix it up before she sees. Just so long as someone doesn't tattle," Natsu said giving Happy a firm look. Happy covered his giggling mouth, but nodded in agreement.

Ventri groaned across the room. Natsu hurried over to him, peering down at the man, whose face was now very burnt and bruised.

"Where is Lucy," Natsu demanded. "What's the king want with her?"

"The king doesn't want her for anything," snapped Ventri. "The duty of the Five Sons of Imperium is to keep the kingdom alive and well until the king returns. My siblings and I are dedicated to do what is best for this land and to bring the king home."

"Lucy would be really good at figuring out what that means," Happy said, crossing his arms in thought.

Natsu brought his flaming hand down hard on the stone just next to Ventri's face, making him flinch. The dragon slayer's face was so dark and focused that it made even Happy shiver.

"Where," Natsu said menacingly slow, "is Lucy."

"In the forest," Ventri snapped. "If she's still alive at all."

"Oof," Happy said turning away as Natsu lit his fists again. "That was not the right thing to say."

...

"Such travels and adventures you've shared with your family," Baselius announced, eyes dancing as he poured himself and Lucy some tea. "There is a legend in this forest that creatures of love reside here and watch over the goodness of the world."

"Unicorns," asked Lucy, taking a sip.

Baselius nodded. "I wouldn't be surprised if you saw one. I can tell there is a lot of goodness in your heart. Unicorns like that."

"But I heard they can corrupt a heart as well," Lucy said. "Though I'm not sure what that means, exactly."

"Corrupt a heart? No, no." Baselius frowned in thought. "A unicorn can only empower, it can never oppress or destroy. Only humans can corrupt a heart and mind. I came here years ago to get away from them and protect the forest and its creatures. There are plenty of unsavory humans in the forest and neighboring kingdom. Keep guard of your heart and the unicorn will protect you from them though."

Lucy nodded, puzzling over this idea, but before she could ask him to elaborate Baselius changed subjects and began telling his own story of when he was young and running through the forest, chasing what he was convinced was a fairy (only to find it was a lightning bug). Snug in their protected cabin, with the merriment of new friendship around them, neither Baselius nor Lucy had slightest knowledge that they were being watched.

From the small window just beside the sink, the man watched the blond take a sip of tea, her eyes straying from the cup to the old man's face. The lurker managed to move out of sight just before her eyes trailed to the window. He wished the girl's presence would hurry the unicorn's arrival, though he supposed killing Abaddon had slowed that plan. He turned the dagger impatiently in his hands and it gleamed, clean from the blood it had a few hours ago.

Perhaps she just wasn't feeling the right emotions to lure the thing closer. After all, a unicorn would always come to assist those it had chosen.

"I'll help her along a bit," the man smirked, tucking his dagger back into the sheath and peaking again into the window. "Then, once I've dealt with the creature, I won't need you or that dreadful old man any more."

_**Thanks so much to FireShifter & Ushindeshi for the reviews! I hop you & everyone else enjoyed this chapter. Fight scene are always so tricky to do.**_

_**Don't forget to review! See you soon!**_


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Gray vs. Arawn

_"You've forgotten my gift," Arawn smirked. He held up another rope, spinning the top portion like a lasso as ice appeared at the top, molding itself into an icicle so sharp that it was almost a harpoon._

_"I haven't forgotten," Gray assured him. "But a copy-cat like you can't possibly beat the real thing."_

They stood glaring at one another for a moment before Gray grabbed his shirt and jacket, throwing them to the side.

"Don't undress," Arawn called. He threw out both his hands as if to block the view, but released two ropes heading towards Gray.

"Ice-Make Wall," Gray called, creating a small wall of ice in front of him. The ropes bounced off of it and speed back to Arawn, who smirked amused.

"Fine," Arawn said. "Have it your way."

With another flick of his wrist fire covered the rope that rushed towards the wall, burning through the ice wall before Gray could move. The sharpened ice point scraped Gray across the chest and he hissed in pain as the sharp coldness cut him, quickly followed by the hot flames.

"He can use fire and ice at once," groaned Gray, leaping from behind the wall. That complicated things. He'd have to be faster.

Moving out of range, or what Gray hoped was out of range, he called out spells in quick succession. "Ice-make hammer! Ice-make cannon! Ice make arrow!"

Pulling back the bow he released all three attacks at once at Arawn, resulting in an explosion of dirt and dust as they made impact. Before the dirt cleared he reset his stance. "Ice-make Prison," he called. A large square cage appeared, slamming down on the spot Arawn had been. Gray panted from the barrage, but didn't have time to rest. As the dirt settled he found his prison cell was empty.

A searing pain hit him across the back as a rope slapped him, a small tornado whirling about it and creating the sensation of thousands of ropes hitting him at once.

"Too slow," called Arawn. Gray looked up to see he was sitting on a branch. Gray let out a growl of frustration. He was not going to be undone by some stupid rope tricks!

In a flash two ice blades appeared from both of his forearms. In two swift movements he cut the tornado rope in half. It fell down to the floor as any regular rope would. Then, he charged at the tree. With seven rapid strikes, he leveled the tree and was again face to face with Arawn.

"You're clever, I'll give you that," admitted Arawn. "I respect a mage who needs to be creative to use his spells."

He threw out another rope, but Gray didn't wait for an impact this time. He covered his own hands in ice and grabbed hold of the rope, tying it tightly into a knot before changing the ice on his right hand into a dagger and cutting it through.

The rope fell to the ground, harmless like the other. He'd have to destroy all the rope. That was easier said than done, though, because Arawn seemed to have an endless supply. The more rope Gray cut, the more rope seemed to appear.

They went on like this for some time with Gray just narrowly dodging a few sharp attacks, one of which scrapped against his arm, cutting one of his blades to pieces. He could feel himself getting tired, but so was Arawn, who was panting and gazing upon the growing pile of useless rope. How much rope did this guy have anyway?

"I'll finish this," Gray said and he lunged forward. "Then we'll defeat the corrupted king!"

Arawn stepped to the side and Gray felt a rope wrap around his hand, knotted in place before he could move away. The rope pulled him down to the ground with almost gravitational force, slamming his face into the dirt.

"You idiots believe a child's story," Arawn laughed. He moved his hand new, hidden ropes began to tighten around Gray. They surprised Gray with their speed and before he could cut them through with his free hand, they were wrapped about him like a snake. This was the technique that took out Natsu, so he'd need to act fast.

"If the story isn't true, why were you looking for a unicorn." Gray demanded.

"We weren't looking for the unicorn," Arawn snapped. "We were looking for the King. The unicorn bewitched him, drove him to the brink of madness. He would abandon all of us just to protect it! What sort of creature would do such a thing and be considered good. It has to die so the king can return to his post."

"Couldn't you have talked to him," asked Gray. He inhaled deeply. With his exhale he blew down on the rope, encasing it in a layer of ice. A crack appeared. Perhaps he'd frozen it through? The ice shattered revealing the rope still in place. _Damn._

"We tried, but the pull of the unicorn was too strong," Arawn replied. He moved towards his fallen ropes, collecting them bit by bit and wrapping them into spirals. "Compassio even tried to expel the goodness from his heart, but it didn't work. From the moment he left, our duty changed to destroy that unicorn and bring back the King, no matter what- for our kingdom and our father."

The ropes were hugging Gray tighter and tighter, cutting off his circulation and his breath.

"But why," he gasped. "Why take Lucy?"

"Lucy," Arawn asked peering up from his inspection of his last cut rope. "The girl? We don't care about her. We should thank her. When we our men found the unicorn it turned to stone and we lost it's trail until she woke it. Once woken the creature is bound to you and the unicorn is bound to her like our father is bound to it. We need her to lure them both in-the creature and the king. We'll give her back when the unicorn is dead."

"Give-her-back?" Gray's air way was becoming very constricted and there seemed to be a bit of Natsu's fire left in it because it was getting hot.

"Well, I would," Arawn smirked. "But I'm not the one in the forest with them. Compassio will be the one to make the final call. Perhaps the cabin will be her eternal home."

"That's-it?"

Arawn shrugged, standing and rolling up the rope, tucking it into his pocket for repair later. "That's it for the story of the unicorn and of Gray from Fairy Tail."

"Don't-count- on-it," Gray gasped.

He closed his eyes and focused his energy within. The black markings on the boys arm were moving, sliding up across his arm and shoulder, up his neck and across his face. Was this some form of death Arawn had not witnessed? He got closer to look, fascinated by this new untimely end.

Gray's eyes opened, one dark blue and the other a strange pink or red. Gray flicked his wrist at his side sending a shot of pink ice from his hand. Before Arawn could move away the ice hit him, freezing him in his squatting position, face frozen into an expression of surprise.

The ropes fell away from Gray and he sat up, rubbing his neck and inhaling deeply.

"You took forever to get to the point," Gray told Arawn's frozen face. "I was starting to get worried you'd never spill the beans."

"Gray!"

Gray turned to see Erza, Wendy, and Carla running towards him.

"You look a bit worse than last time I saw you," Gray teased.

Erza smirked. "You don't look much better if I'm honest."

Wendy was peering at the squatting ice statue of Arawn. "You defeated Arawn," she said. She tapped his forehead. It responded with a quiet _ping!_

"I take it you also won," Gray said, not even attempting to hide his pleasure at his handiwork.

"Erza defeated one of them," Wendy confessed. "But Compassio got away. We tried to follow him, but lost his tracks. Then we saw you."

Gray looked at Erza, who was watching him carefully. "You know something," Erza observed. "Something about this Compassio."

"I know that Lucy's not in that castle, that's for sure," Gray said peering up at the turret before them. "But Natsu is and-"

As if on cue there was an explosion from the turret. Smoke poured out of a window as Happy and Natsu appeared half flying, half falling. Happy caught Natsu more securely by the shoulder and they charged to Erza, Gray, Carla, and Wendy. Just as they were about to touch down, Happy let go of Natsu's shirt and he barreled right into Gray, knocking them both to the floor.

"You made it," Natsu said with a toothy grin, looking around at his team.

"Do you mind," growled Gray from beneath him.

"Oh Gray," Natsu observed, a tone of disappointment. "You're here too?"

"GET OFF OF ME!" Gray pushed the dragon slayer onto the ground as he sat up.

"No Lucy in there," Natsu told them, his tone turning serious. "Just some big dude who wouldn't share his lunch."

"The fifth son of Imperium," asked Wendy.

Natsu nodded. "Yeah, and boy did Vindizel talk a lot."

Happy snickered behind his paw before doing a strange imitation, "my siblings and I are dedicated to do what is best for this land and to bring the king home."

"Yeah, that fits with what I learned as well," Gray confessed. He filled them in with all he'd learned from their now frozen opponent.

"Back in the forest," Natsu whined. "We were just there!"

"When we find Lucy, let's tell he we went all over the place," Happy recommended. "Then she'll feel bad and get us dinner!"

"True," Natsu agreed. He looked over at the forest, his face serious again.

"Happy & I can take Natsu and Wendy above to find the cabin," Carla suggested, wings appearing as she spoke. "You two can follow below. It will speed up our search."

Gray and Ezra nodded and without another word the exceeds took hold of their dragon slayers and began to rise. Erza was quiet as they jogged, eyes watching Wendy & Natsu, but clearly deep in thought about all they had learned.

"What can we trust," Erza said finally. "We've heard a good number of stories. Is the king corrupted and murderous or is he protecting the forest despite his children's wishes?"

"If it's the second one," Gray reasoned. "He's not a danger to Lucy, if anything he might protect her."

"But if the first is true," Erza replied. "She's in more danger than we can possibly know. Not to mention we don't know what the unicorn may have done or will do to her."

"You think she could be corrupted," Gray asked.

Erza was quiet, watching as Natsu & Wendy took a slight right. They followed behind.

"Maybe, he protects the unicorn and the unicorn kept him hidden," Erza considered. "Maybe he was corrupted and is the mastermind behind all of this trouble. Either way, Compassio is still out there and that makes another factor we can't predict."

"We'll figure that out when we find Lucy," Gray said.

"Yes," Erza agreed. She fell silent again. _Please let us find Lucy soon,_ she thought. She watched Natsu laugh at something Happy said. She didn't want to see Lucy get hurt, nor did she want to see what Natsu would do if something did happen to any of them, but especially if something happened to Lucy.

...

In the cabin kitchen, Baselius put down his mug, eyes glancing out the window suspiciously. Lucy was explaining her keys to him, but he was only half listening. The forest had changed. It was subtle, almost unnoticeable, but a change all the same.

Someone was here to threaten them and the forest. To threaten the girl? He couldn't yet tell. Then, he recognized something in the change. He'd felt it before.

"They've finally found me," he sighed, pushing his chair away from the table and running a hand across his beard.

"Found you," Lucy repeated.

Baselius' eyes went blank, though he was staring at Lucy, he didn't seem to see her at all. There was a stirring in his heart that he hadn't felt in years. A darkness that had long been forgotten- ambitions, kingly duties, war councils, and desires for power.

"Baselius," she asked moving forward. She touched her hand to his shoulder, which began to shake.

He turned his head slowly to her and spoke, with a strained tone as if every word was an effort, "Run...away...now..."

Then Baselius fell forward onto the table.

**It's all coming ****together****! Thanks for reading & don't forget to review! **


	9. Chapter 9

**_A/N: Okay, I'll be honest, I did not anticipate this idea developing as it has, but I'm not mad about it! It has certainly kept me entertained _****_in between chapters of _****_Eden Zero & 100 year quest. No spoilers here! Just obsession & inner-monologue-ing. _**

**_Anyway, hope you enjoy!_**

Chapter 9: The King & His Son

King Baselius knew what was happening, but he was powerless to stop it. He knew that beyond this memory was his cabin in the woods and the young mage, Lucy, who was in increasing danger. But, memories are imprinted in the heart as well as the mind and no matter how much he KNEW what was happening, without control of his heart he couldn't break the spell. He could feel every emotion as fresh as if it were yesterday, rather than five years ago. Maybe it had been ten?

_Instead of his cabin, he was in his main throne room, it's only light shining through the thin windows to the side. All five of his children were bowing before him. Pride at his children and their strength, joy at their growth and __success, and guilt at his decision, which was final._

_"Father," Compassio said, looking up to meet the King Baselius' eyes. King Baselius felt the stab of betrayal from Compassio as if were in his own heart, a stab as painful as a steel dagger. "You wish to leave us for the forest?"_

_"But why," Abaddon asked. He too ventured a glance at the King and King Baselius felt a sadness like ice cold water touch him down to his bone. The agony was enough to destroy a father's heart, but he was still firm._

_"This is what I desire," King Baselius said. "Ventri shall take the throne."_

_"Ventri," shouted Compassio leaping up in anger as Ventri let out a gasp of surprise. "You'e not in your right mind," Compassio continued. "That creature has corrupted you and wishes to lure you in the finish you off."_

_"Father," Ventri said softly, not looking up from his focus on the ground. "Is this what you desire- to live with the forest? To give all of this- us - up?"_

_"Leave me," King Baselius said with a sigh. At the time, he had felt the weight of the decision tiring him, but now this exhaustion was multiplied by a hundred. _

Compassio's gift for emotions and manipulation was stronger than it had been before. Somewhere by the cabin he must be watching, but King Baselius could not move to warn Lucy or to defend himself. Instead, his feeling of guilt seemed to envelope him entirely.

_He sat back on his throne and the sun outside the window seemed to dim. King Baselius felt the familiar bubbling in his heart. In the forest, he had felt the touch of the unicorn and clarity had filled his heart will purpose and vision. Now, an anger and sadness spun about in his heart like a whirlpool, mixing into a void that risked swallowing him whole. Ventri entered, falling to one knee in salute. __Despite his large size, he seemed shy and small. King Baselius had always felt it showed the gentlest of his son, but today his heart had no warmth. When had it felt warmth? It seemed so long ago._

_"Father," Ventri said timidly. "May I approach?"_

_Compassio stood at his shoulder and leaned towards his ear._

_"He wishes to undermine you by pretending to care," he whispered. _

King Baselius felt an anger grow in his heart, as strong now in his cabin as it had been back then.

_This boy wished to undermine his authority? As king?_

_"What do you want," snapped King Baselius._

_"You've changed," Ventri said. "Last week you were sure you wanted to give up these duties and live in the forest. Now you produce five proclamations a day, some of them almost cruel to our poorest people. I'm concerned."_

_"He's not concerned," hissed Compassio in King Baselius' ear. "He's disappointed he isn't on the throne. He wanted your position. He wanted you to leave, even if it was not what you wished."_

King Baselius felt the anger and bitterness swell in his heart.

_"Abaddon & Arawn," Ventri said timidly, "They say the power of the unicorn was too much and that it has corrupted your heart."_

_King__ Baselius turned to Compassio quickly. Compassio met his gaze. "They think your weak," Compassio muttered, though he appeared to nod sympathetically. "They think a mere animal has defeated you."_

_King__ Baselius felt the anger turn to hatred._

_"No creature can over take me and live," snarled King Baselius. H__e would destroy any doubt! Let his children tremble in fear at his power!_

_Ventri looked visibly concerned at this response, but Compassio only smiled._

_"Brother," he said to Ventri. "Let's make the arrangements."_

_"In the name of the Five Sons of Imperium," Ventri said with a bow, "I will do as you please."_

Lucy rushed towards him with no way of knowing any of the troubles swirling about in Baselius' mind. The hatred was growing in Baselius' heart, he could feel it enveloping him with every passing second. The longer he was under Compassio's power, the harder it was to break. Lucy pulled him against her as she looked about the cabin. Something was wrong. She heard a sob from the old man and looked down at him again to find tears streaming down his face, which was contorted into a pained expression, then an angry, and finally a face of sadness again.

_Who has found him?_ She wondered, _What do they want?_ Her eyes widened in fear. _Is it the same people who orchestrated the kidnapping and killed one of the kidnappers? _She felt the cabin grow chilly, though no breeze blew through the window. "Wait here," she told Baselius. "I'll fix this!"

Taking Loke's key from her chain, she called to the sky, "Open gate of the Lion, Loke!"

Loke appeared next to her, glancing around the cabin, then to the old man, then to Lucy.

"What's happening," he asked.

"That's what we need to figure out," Lucy explained. She touched the key to her chest and in another flash of light she was in her Leo star dress- an elegant, frilled, black ball gown with a slit up her left leg and a gold sash around her hips. The accompanying sleeves of the dress were detached, sitting on Lucy's upper arm and falling to her forearm, where they flared outward. The Leo zodiac sign appeared upon her right breast.

"I never get tired of seeing you with my sign," Loke admitted, flashing Lucy with a wink.

"Focus," Lucy demanded, though a slight blush touched her cheeks despite herself.

"A pretty dress won't help you."

They turned to see a well built man standing in the door way, wearing a (more wrinkled than usual) dark blue military uniform. On his face was a massive mustache to match. He smirked at Lucy's surprised expression and added,"besides, the King can't hear you right now. He's lost in his own heart."

Lucy shot a look at Baselius again. His brows were furrowed, a look of disgusted pulled across his face. The kind old man seemed lost.

"What are you-" Lucy began, but she stopped as Loke charged the man, attempting Regulus Impact. Light gathered on his right fist and he began to move it towards the man's face, but Compassio turned his eyes to Loke. The lion head shaped light disappeared into nothingness.

"Loke," Lucy asked. He didn't respond. She tried again. "Loke?"

He pulled in a ragged breath.

"No," Loke commanded as Lucy moved to approach him. "No, stay back!"

She froze in her place, eyes moving from the mustached man, to Loke, to Baselius, and back again.

"What are you doing to my friend," Lucy demanded. "Stop it or I'll make you stop!"

"My father didn't tell you about us," the man observed. "Foolish man- foolish king. He's left you defenseless to my powers."

Loke was trembling in a way Lucy had not seen since she had asked the Celestial King to let Loke back into the Celestial World.

"Karen," Loke said in a tone of pain. "I killed you! I'm sorry!"

"Karen? Loke, snap out of it!" Lucy took a step to approach him, but before she could he disappeared from the scene, his gate closed.

"The heart is a funny thing," the man observed. "It scars like any muscle or tissue and those scars remember every wound- every betrayal, every moment of guilt. But the scars always seem so fresh and easy to reopen for me. Maybe that's why they named me Compassio- for feelings."

Lucy moved back to Baselius, watching as his face continued to darken.

"Baselius," Lucy called. "Baselius don't fall into whatever he's doing to you!"

For a moment, Baselius' face returned to its original kind expression, but it passed and he moved his hand, bringing it across Lucy's face with such force that she stumbled back.

"Don't touch a king," hissed Baselius, standing and glowering over Lucy.

Lucy looked back at Compassio. He was manipulating Baselius just as he'd manipulated Loke. He'd made Loke remember the heartbreak of his guilt over Karen's death. Well, Loke might be gone, but she still had some of his powers.

"I won't let you play with their hearts," Lucy said. She rushed towards him with her enhanced speed, catching Compassio off guard when her kick met his temple. He staggered out of the doorway into the light outside. She followed after, hitting him again, in time int he shoulder, with her regulus kick.

"Bitch," Compassio snarled, wiping a bit of blood. He glanced at King Baselius still within the cabin. Though his expression was not as angry and hateful anymore, his eyes were still blank, caught in his own emotions and memories. His view was blocked when Lucy appeared in the door way, fists up as if ready to fight hand to hand.

"Why not be a good girl and let us deal with court business," Compassio said. "If you'll attract the unicorn, there won't be any reason for you to be hurt."

"You hurt my friends," Lucy told him. "I won't let you hurt anything else!"

"Fine," he said, standing and cracking his neck. "It'll be a pleasure to destroy you before I get rid of that blasted creature. It might even attract it faster."

"I'm tougher than that," Lucy assured him, rushing forward. Now that they were outside she could summon Scorpio or Sagittarius without fear of destroying the mans cabin. She pulled out Scorpios key and began the motion to open the gate, but her voice caught in her throat. _Something is wrong,_ she thought. A cold shiver ran through her, starting from her heart and moving across her spins until it felt as if every nerve had been touched. _What is this?_

"I sense so much tragedy in your heart," Compassio smiled. "It's not good to keep that bottled up, let's take a closer look, shall we?"

...

"Natsu," Wendy said timidly. "I'm sure Lucy will be okay."

Natsu glanced at his friend, noticing her concern. He must have been quiet for too long. He glanced at Happy to confirm. The exceed also looked more worried than usual.

"I know, Wendy," he said, breaking into a toothy grin. "I just want to get there as soon as possible to make sure. What's this Compassio guy like anyway?"

"Horrible," Carla replied before Wendy could. Wendy looked quickly from Carla to Natsu, who's face grew serious again.

"He uses powers to control emotions," Wendy explained.

"How's that work," Natsu asked, scanning the forest below them closely.

"Well, he finds bad memories and emotions," Wendy said carefully. "He brought up Carla's feeling of guilt when she thought she betrayed us and my feelings of loss when my guild disappeared."

"Oh," Natsu said. Up ahead he saw the trees in the forest thin suddenly, as if some had been chopped down. A bit farther he could see the roof of a cabin with smoke coming from its chimney. "There," Natsu called. "Happy, pick up the pace!"

"Aye sir!"

...

Lucy had dropped to her knees but she couldn't explain how she'd got here, tears were running down her face as they never had before. _No, that's not right, _she thought. _I've cried like this before._ And as if to prove it, the memories swept over her like waves, hitting her with increasing force. She could see each moment as if it were right before her, but the sadness felt like more than she'd ever been able to bear.

The first wave was her mother dying. She brought her father a treat for her birthday and he sent her away to the cold loneliness of her room, without friends.

The second wave was her father's death & her feeling of missing out on the time they could have spent. She was standing in front of her parents grave, silently staring and wondering why she couldn't cry. Was she a hateful person? Would Natsu & Happy still be her friend if it turned out she never loved her father? Would anyone bear to know such a monster?

The waves pulled back and like a riptide they seemed to drag her into a darkness so deep she wasn't sure she'd surface again.

_Aquarius was standing in front of her, water spirals the only thing to separate Lucy from Zeref's creations. "Destroy the key," commanded Aquarius. "Save your friends!" __Lucy held up the key, calling the Celestial King. The key shattered as Aquarius light flared before disappearing, though Lucy could barely hear over the sound of her own call to her departing friend- her oldest friend gone. Her mother's friend- gone. _

_After the battle with Tartaros, Master Macarov decided to disassemble the guild. Natsu hadn't been at the meeting, but he had just lost Igneel, so Lucy figured it made sense. The loss of Aquarius was fresh in her heart, but she was sure the wizards of Fairy Tail wouldn't leave so easily. Would they? A fear tugged at her mind. She needed to see Natsu and make sure she wasn't crazy. He'd never leave, right? Her apartment was suspicious- she knew he was there waiting somewhere. But he wasn't- it was a note instead. She'd run and run, but he was gone. He left her all alone and then they all did the same._

Now in her memory her loneliness and loss felt more potent. She felt short of breath from the physical pain the memories caused, as if they were tearing her chest cavity open. She inhaled air, noticing it was ragged. All of those times she'd cried and more, but now it felt as if the loneliness and pain would make her heart explode.

_I know I've been happy,_ she thought, holding her hand against her chest, key still grasped in her hand. _But when? Where is that happiness now?_

"It won't be much longer," Compassio said, eyes scanning the forest line. "The creature will come. It always comes when it feels the pain of others, especially those who have bonded with it. For your sanity's sake, pray its sooner than later."

"No," Lucy put both hands on the ground. She had reverted to her original outfit, magical energy too unfocused to keep her Leo dress. Compassio looked back at her quickly before scoffing.

"No?"

"NO!" Lucy yelled. She wouldn't be beaten by this sadness. She had beaten it before and she would do it now. She would find the light when she had time, but now she needed to stop Compassio. "Open the Gate of the Scorpion! Scorpio!"

Nothing happened. If anything, the well of sadness deepened. _I'm alone,_ Lucy thought. _No, no I'm not! I'm just out of magical energy right now. _

But it felt like the loneliness of an empty Heartfilia manor- of a key ring without Aquarius-of an empty Magnolia.

"It's too late any way," Compassio growled and he moved forward. Lucy turned her head to see a creature in the woods- the unicorn. It was standing at the edge of the forest, one leg stepping out of the shadow as if to approach Lucy. It was watching Lucy so intently, it didn't seem to notice Compassio reaching for his dagger.

_No, _Lucy thought. She pushed herself up shakily. _No! _She pushed herself into motion, leaning forward. She wouldn't let him win. Even without her magic, she'd stop him. Baselius appeared in the cabin door. His eyes widened seeing Compassio poised for a throw. Above them, Natsu had spotted the cabin and figures.

"Drop me Happy," Natsu commanded. Happy complied, circling back to make sure Erza, Gray, Carla,. and Wendy knew where the battle was.

Lucy and Baselius lunged forward. Three figures moving towards the frozen creature whose eyes moved from Lucy to Compassio.

The dagger met flesh with a sickening sound which was partnered with a cry of pain.

The unicorn stood unharmed.

**Thanks so much for reading & don't forget to review! Thanks so much to Ushindeshi, Ammany, & Fireshifter!**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: The Power of the Forest's Creatures

_"Drop me Happy," Natsu commanded. Happy complied, circling back to make sure Erza, Gray, Carla, and Wendy knew where the battle was. __Lucy and Baselius lunged forward. Three figures moving towards the frozen creature whose eyes moved from Lucy to Compassio. __The dagger met flesh with a sickening sound which was partnered with a cry of pain. __The unicorn stood unharmed._

Baselius dropped onto one knee unsteadily, a pool of blood appearing where the head of the dagger jutted out of his chest. His eyes were unfocused as he fell to the side. Lucy caught him in her arms, eyes wide with horror at the sight of the old man's wound.

"Lucy," Baselius muttered.

"Don't talk," Lucy told him. She scanned the forest. If Natsu was here, then surely Wendy must be as well. "We can save you."

Baselius hummed in response allowing his eyes to close and open lazily. His lids were so very heavy.

Compassio let out a howl of rage, pointing accusingly at Lucy. "You! You did this! I'll kill you and then that cursed creature!"

"You won't get near either of them," growled Natsu, his hands lighting up and face darkening into one of determination.

Lucy turned her attention again to Baselius. With Compassio distracted by Natsu, she could feel her one darkness lifting, but it still weighed heavily on her. It was taking a lot of focus to stay present. Baselius had his eyes closed again, but she called to him urgently.

"Baselius! Wake up, you can't sleep!"

Baselius' eyes fluttered open a bit, looking around slowly as if he were trying to decipher where he was.

"My friends are on their way," Lucy assured him. "They can help."

"Ah, yes, friends," Baselius agreed, eyes moved towards Lucy's, then to the unicorn. He sighed, reaching out a shaky hand to pat the unicorns nose. "Lucy, there is something important."

"Yes," Lucy prompted.

Baselius took a deep breath before continuing, "after this is over, go to the chest in my cabin and get my letter to Ventri. Be sure he gets it, yes?"

Lucy nodded, tears rolling down her cheek.

"Your friend needs help," Baselius observed as Natsu was slammed against a tree, falling to the ground. "Compassio is not one you can defeat with physical might alone. It is... also... the heart's might."

He nudged Lucy away as the unicorn approached closer. He wanted her to fight with Natsu, not cry over a dying old man. Lucy turned away from them, watching as Natsu pushed himself up, arms shaking beneath him. He didn't seem that injured, but his face was marked with tears. Lucy's eyes widened. Compassio was inside his heart!

"Stop it," she called, rushing towards Natsu. "Natsu! Can you hear me?"

Natsu seemed to be physically shrinking, body shaking as he brought a flaming hand down against the ground with so much power that the earth beneath him cracked. What could he be remembering? The feeling of Igneel's death before his eyes? The discovery that he was E.N.D. and would potentially destroy his friends? The guilt of making Erza cry as she separated Gray and himself?

"L-lucy," Natsu muttered. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders carefully. "Lucy? Why are you so still?"

"I'm not still, Natsu," She said urgently. "I'm right here, can't you hear me?"

She felt Compassio turn his attention on her before she saw him make any physical moves. The darkness that had never fully left expanded within her.

_Aquarius' key shattered making a __light flared before disappearing, though Lucy could barely hear over the sound of her own call to her departing friend- her oldest friend gone. Her mother's friend- gone. Her betrayal and __loneliness the year fairy tail had fear that engulfed her when Natsu had disappeared, even after she'd rewritten the book of E.N.D._

_I have to beat him with my heart_, Lucy reminded herself. But how? When she couldn't find any happiness here?

As if to answer, a light shown in the darkness and suddenly, Lucy's memories were flooded with joy.

_The happiness when she joined fairy tail. _

_The pleasure at reuniting with her father after their fortune was gone._

_The surprise of a rainbow cherry blossom tree floating down the Magnolia river._

_The relief when Natsu remembered her (undoing the invisible potion and making her visible again)._

_The wonder when Natsu managed to catch her after the infinity clock, his toothy grin looking up at her. __That toothy grin which appeared so often in her happiest memories. _

_Like__ stars in the early night sky the memories began to twinkle to life. When she won her award for writing. When they partnered up to fight against a difficult opponent. The moment they defeated Acnologia and the dragon slayers returned from the time rift. Natsu had been falling directly onto her and Happy, pinning them to the ground before his face broke into a broad toothy grin before declaring, __"I'm home!" And all the memories in between with little smiles and joy: busting him for breaking into her apartment & his look at losing a game (and he didn't want to admit he was a sore loser)._

All of these memories came flooding into the darkness, breaking through until the darkness crumbled away.

"Lucy," Natsu grumbled, responding to her for the first time since her approach. "You're glowing."

Looking around her she found the unicorn's horn touching her back, just where her heart would be and from that spot her whole body was starting to glow. She felt rejuvenated.

"Do you feel better as well," she asked Natsu as the unicorn stepped back, moving back towards Baselius' body on the edge of the forest.

"Better than before," Natsu grinned. "Let's do it!"

They both stood, nodded at one another and then moved into action. In three swift movements, Natsu fired off his attack, distracting Compassio long enough for Lucy to summon Capricorn, Sagittarius, and Virgo.

"Let's knock him out," Lucy called, changing into her own Capricorn dress, glasses set to hopefully ward off any additional emotional attacks.

The attacks threw Compassio into an arc in the air, slamming him down on the ground before the beating continued. By the third wave of attacks, he was out cold. Lucy felt her magical energy returning to normal as her spirits left one by one.

"Nice job," Natsu beamed, holding a thumbs up.

Lucy nodded, "You too!"

"Looks like we missed all the fun," Gray called. An ice a cage fell over Compassio as Gray, Erza, and Wendy finally reached the scene. "You don't look so hot," he added teasingly to Natsu.

"Watch it ice-bucket," Natsu growled halfheartedly. He turned again to Lucy, "Besides, Lucy did all the real work."

Lucy smiled lightly at his toothy grin and felt her heart give a light flutter as another happy memory fell into place.

...

It took them an additional day to finally get on the road again. They had to return King Baselius' body to Ventri, and deliver the letter Lucy had been instructed to find. It outlined all that had happened and the treason that Compassio had committed. King Ventri thanked them for their gift of the truth, vowing to protect his people and the forest, including all the creatures within it so long as he held the throne. Then, he organized a banquet that made even Natsu and Happy too full to move for the night.

As they walked, Natsu and Gray bickered and exchanged insults, challenging one another on who would be able to defeat the next god-dragon. Erza intervened with a deathly glare and a whack on both of their heads as Wendy and Carla giggled from behind.

Lucy sighed contented. They were a wild bunch, always finding themselves in trouble, but she wouldn't change them for the world.

Natsu looked over his shoulder, catching Lucy's eyes and breaking into his beaming grin again as he teased, "Lucy, you're slowing us down!"

Lucy simply laughed, throwing her head back so that the light caught her golden hair, making it dance. She could make it through even the darkest moments so long as her friends were there.

**The end.**

**Thanks for reading & hope your enjoyed! Conclusions are always so difficult, but I think this one came out okay and I couldn't resist some Nalu (whoops!). Don't forget to review!**


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